Learn Croatian: Nemojte prilaziti, ovdje je kabel. - Don't approach, the cable is here.

Nemojte is the plural or formal version of "don't". You would use this if you are warning multiple people or someone you speak to formally (using "vi"). If you were warning just one friend or child, you would use the singular form and say Nemoj prilaziti.

How does the negative command work here with prilaziti?

To tell someone not to do something, Croatian commonly uses the helper word nemoj (or nemojte for plural/formal) followed by the infinitive form of the action verb. In this sentence, prilaziti is the infinitive meaning "to approach".

Could I just say Ne prilazite instead of Nemojte prilaziti?

Yes, Ne prilazite (using the negative particle ne plus the present tense verb) is also grammatically correct and means exactly the same thing. However, using nemojte plus the infinitive is the most natural and frequent way to give a negative command in everyday Croatian.

Why is je placed right after ovdje?

The word je (is) is an enclitic, which is a short, "weak" word that always needs to be in the second position of its clause. Because the comma splits the sentence into two separate parts, ovdje (here) acts as the first word of the new clause, meaning je drops perfectly into that required second spot.